Mobile wireless communications device with rf immune charging contacts

ABSTRACT

In accordance with a non-limiting aspect, a mobile wireless communications device includes a housing, at least one circuit board carried by the housing, radio frequency (RF) circuitry, and a processor. An antenna is operative with the RF circuitry. A charging circuit charges a battery carried by and powers the device and includes at least one charging contact carried by the housing and configured for engaging an external charging cradle when connected thereto. It includes an internal connector extending to at least one circuit board and connecting to the charging circuitry. An RF filter includes a ferrite material surrounding at least a portion of the internal connector to minimize RE coupling from the at least one charging contact to the antenna and reduce transmitter harmonics emission and receiver de-sense.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of communications devices,and more particularly, to mobile wireless communications devices andrelated methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cellular communication systems continue to grow in popularity and havebecome an integral part of both personal and business communications.Cellular telephones allow users to place and receive phone calls mostanywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology isincreased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. Forexample, many cellular devices now incorporate Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists,calculators, memo and writing programs, etc. These multi-functiondevices usually allow users to send and receive electronic mail (email)messages wirelessly and access the internet via a cellular networkand/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.

As the functionality of cellular communications devices continues toincrease, so too does demand for smaller devices that are easier andmore convenient for users to carry. The circuit boards and associatedelectronic components thereon are becoming increasingly reduced in sizeand placed closer together. These components include antennae, RFcomponents, power amplifiers, antenna switches, and other electroniccomponents that pick up conductive energy and create interference withinvarious circuits and components. For example, some components could pickup conducted energy directly from a power amplifier circuit, thecharging contacts of a battery, antenna contacts, or from the radiatedenergy emitted by an antenna. This unwanted reception of conducted ornear field radiated energy from power amplifiers, antennae or othercomponents is particularly problematic in a packet burst transmission aspart of a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) system,including the 450 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands.Other issues arise with modulation schemes that use In-phase (I) andQuadrature (Q) circuits, creating linearity issues with power amplifiersand poor antenna match. This can cause degradation of TRP (totalradiated power) and raise harmonic interference issues because of thehigher non-linearity of a power amplifier as an example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from thedetailed description which follows, when considered in light of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example of a mobile wirelesscommunications device configured as a handheld device and illustratingbasic internal components thereof as a non-limiting example.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the mobile wireless communicationsdevice of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing basic functional circuitcomponents that can be used in the mobile wireless communications deviceof FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary and isometric view of the rear or back sectionof a housing case as part of a housing for the mobile wirelesscommunications device such as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and showing an exampleof the relative position of the antenna and battery charging contacts ina non-limiting example.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, side elevation view of a battery chargingcontact and its spring connector and antenna on the housing case andshowing a filter positioned near the charging contacts to minimizetransmission harmonics emission and receiver de-sense.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional In-phase and Quadrature(I/Q) modulation and power amplification circuit showing one poweramplification circuit after combining I/Q signals.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an In-phase and Quadrature modulation andpower amplification circuit that includes a separate power amplifiercircuit for each of the In-phase and Quadrature circuits in accordancewith a non-limiting example.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are side elevation views of prior art antenna contactsused with different mobile wireless communications devices.

FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the equivalent circuit for theprior art antenna contacts shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, isometric view of an antenna contact that, inaccordance with a non-limiting example, ensures good radio frequency(RF) and mechanical performance.

FIG. 12 is another fragmentary, isometric view of the antenna contact asshown in FIG. 11 and showing the added conductive ElectromagneticInterference (EMI) material to reduce inductance and variation resultingfrom an extended RF stub.

FIG. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram of an equivalent RF circuit ofthe antenna contacts in accordance with a non-limiting example shown inFIGS. 11 and 12 that ensures good radio frequency (RF) and mechanicalperformance.

FIG. 14 is another fragmentary, isometric view of the antenna contactsuch as shown in FIG. 12 and showing a better view of the EMI materialadded near the contact point and also showing relative dimensions in anon-limiting example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present description is made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which preferred embodiments are shown. However, manydifferent embodiments may be used, and thus the description should notbe construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

In accordance with a non-limiting aspect, a mobile wirelesscommunications device includes a housing and at least one circuit boardcarried by the housing. Radio frequency (RF) circuitry is carried by theat least one circuit board and includes a transmitter and receiver. Aprocessor is carried by the at least one circuit board and operativewith the RE circuitry. An antenna is mounted within the housing andoperative with the RF circuitry. A charging circuit is mounted withinthe housing and charges a battery carried by and powers the mobilewireless communications device. It includes at least one chargingcontact carried by the housing and configured for engaging an externalcharging cradle when connected thereto. It includes an internalconnector extending to at least one circuit board and connecting thecharging circuitry. An RF filter is connected to the charging contactand includes a ferrite material surrounding at least a portion of theinternal connector to minimize RF coupling from the at least onecharging contact to the antenna and reduce transmitter harmonicsemission and receiver de-sense.

The housing can include a lower end to which the antenna and at leastone charging contact are positioned in close proximity to each other.The housing case can have a lower edge mounting the antenna. The antennacan extend over the lower edge and the at least one charging contact issupported adjacent the lower edge to which the antenna is mounted. Theantenna could be formed as a substantially n-shaped antenna extendingover the lower edge.

In another aspect, the charging contact can be formed as a springconnector that extends to the at least one circuit board and is notsurrounded by the ferrite material forming the RE filter. The at leastone charging contact could be formed as two spaced charging contactswith opposite polarity. A respective RF filter can be connected to eachrespective charging contact. The RF filter in one aspect can besubstantially cylindrically configured and surround and engage theinternal connector. The housing can include an internal surface and anRF filter support extending from the internal surface to which theferrite material is secured. The REF filter support could be formed as acylindrical wall that supports the ferrite material.

In yet another aspect, the RF circuitry can be formed as a transceiverchip whether a single or multiple chip set. A battery charging pad canbe carried by the at least one circuit board and connected to chargingcircuitry and the internal connector. The RF circuitry can be operativefor generating global systems for mobile (GSM) packet bursts.

In another aspect, the housing case is substantially rectangularconfigured and has a rear surface, longitudinal side edges and a lowerend forming a lower edge. A battery opening is contained in the rearsurface to which a battery for powering the device is received.

A brief description will now proceed relative to FIGS. 1-3, whichdiscloses an example of a mobile wireless communications device, forexample, a handheld portable cellular radio, which can incorporatenon-limiting examples of the various circuits, including the improvedbattery charging contact circuit. In-phase and Quadrature Modulation andPower Amplification circuit, and antenna contact as later described.FIGS. 1-3 are representative non-limiting examples of the many differenttypes of functional circuit components and their interconnection, andoperative for use in the circuits of the mobile wireless communicationsdevice that can incorporate the improvements, advantages and features asdescribed.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example of a mobile wirelesscommunications device 20, such as a handheld portable cellular radiowith improvements and advantages as described below is set forth. Thisdevice 20 illustratively includes a housing 21 having an upper portion46 and a lower portion 47, and at least one dielectric substrate (i.e.,circuit board) 67, such as a conventional printed circuit board (PCB)substrate, for example, carried by the housing. A number of differentcircuit boards can be used for supporting different components. Forexample, one circuit board could support the microprocessor and RFcomponents, another circuit board could be formed as an antenna circuitboard, and yet another circuit board could be formed as a circuit boardfor supporting different components such as a keyboard.

A housing (not shown in detail) would typically cover and enclosevarious components, such as circuit boards and an antenna. The housingincludes a housing case, for example, a plastic case. The housing casecould support a separate housing cover for front and rear sidesdepending on the type of design. Any type of housing or housing casewill allow access to any circuit board and supports the one or morecircuit boards. A battery opening provides access for a battery to powerthe device. The housing case could support an antenna in onenon-limiting example, such as at its lower edge. The term circuit board67 as used hereinafter can refer to any dielectric substrate, PCB,ceramic substrate or other circuit carrying structure for carryingsignal circuits and electronic components within the mobile wirelesscommunications device 20. The illustrated housing 21 is a statichousing, for example, but it should be understood that a flip or slidinghousing can be used as is typical in many cellular and similartelephones. These and other housing configurations with differenthousing case designs may be used.

Circuitry 48 is carried by the circuit board 67, such as amicroprocessor, memory, one or more wireless transceivers (e.g.,cellular, WLAN, etc.), which includes RF circuitry, including audio andpower circuitry, and in this aspect, including any keyboard circuitry.This circuitry could also generally be termed RF circuitry. It should beunderstood that, as noted before, keyboard circuitry could be on aseparate keyboard, etc., as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart. The different components as described can also be distributed onone circuit board or among a plurality of different circuit boards asnoted before. A battery (not shown) is also preferably carried by thehousing 21 for supplying power to the circuitry 48. The term RFcircuitry could encompass the interoperable RF transceiver circuitry,including receive and transmit circuits and power circuitry, includingcharging circuitry and audio circuitry, including In-phase andQuadrature circuits that include respective power amplifier circuits forrespective In-phase and Quadrature circuits.

In one aspect, an audio output transducer 49 (e.g., a speaker) iscarried by an upper portion 46 of the housing 21 and connected to thecircuitry 48. One or more user input interface devices, such as a keypad(keyboard) 23 (FIG. 2), is also preferably carried by the housing 21 andconnected to the RF circuitry 48. The term keypad as used herein alsorefers to the term keyboard, indicating the user input devices havinglettered and/or numbered keys commonly known and other embodiments,including multi-top or predictive entry modes. Other examples of userinput interface devices include a scroll wheel 37 and a back button 36.Of course, it will be appreciated that other user input interfacedevices (e.g., a stylus or touch screen interface) may be used in otherembodiments.

An antenna and associated antenna circuit 45 (FIG. 1) is preferablysupported within the housing and in one aspect at a lower portion 47 inthe housing, such as on the housing case lower edge. The antenna can beformed as a pattern of conductive traces that make an antenna circuit,which physically forms the antenna. It is operatively connected to thecircuitry 48 on the main circuit board 67 or other circuitry on otherboards. In one non-limiting example, the antenna could be formed on aseparate antenna circuit board or an antenna circuit board section thatextends from the main circuit board at the lower portion of the housing.By placing the antenna 45 adjacent the lower portion 47 of the housing21, the distance is advantageously increased between the antenna and theuser's head when the phone is in use to aid in complying with applicableSAR requirements. Also, a separate keyboard circuit board could be usedas noted before.

More particularly, a user will typically hold the upper portion of thehousing 21 very close to their head so that the audio output transducer49 is directly next to the ear. Yet, the lower portion 47 of the housing21 where an audio input transducer (i.e., microphone) is located neednot be placed directly next to a user's mouth, and can be held away fromthe user's mouth. That is, holding the audio input transducer close tothe user's mouth may not only be uncomfortable for the user, but it mayalso distort the user's voice in some circumstances.

In some designs, the antenna 45 is placed adjacent the lower portion 47of the housing 21 to allow for less impact on antenna performance due toblockage by a user's hand. Users typically hold cellular phones towardsthe middle to upper portion of the phone housing, and are therefore morelikely to put their hands over such an antenna than they are an antennamounted adjacent the lower portion 47 of the housing 21. Accordingly,more reliable performance may be achieved from placing the antenna 45adjacent the lower portion 47 of the housing 21.

Another benefit of this type of configuration is that it provides moreroom for one or more auxiliary input/output (I/O) devices 50 to becarried at the upper portion 46 of the housing. Furthermore, byseparating the antenna 45 from the auxiliary I/O device(s) 50, this mayallow for reduced interference therebetween.

Some examples of auxiliary I/o devices 50 include a WLAN (e.g.,Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11) antenna for providing WLAN communicationcapabilities, and/or a satellite positioning system (e.g., GPS, Galileo,etc.) antenna for providing position location capabilities, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art. Other examples of auxiliary I/Odevices 50 include a second audio output transducer (e.g., a speaker forspeaker phone operation), and a camera lens for providing digital cameracapabilities, an electrical device connector (e.g., USB, headphone,secure digital (SD) or memory card, etc.).

It should be noted that the term “input/output” as used herein for theauxiliary I/O device(s) 50 means that such devices may have input and/oroutput capabilities, and they need not provide both in all embodiments.That is, devices such as camera lenses may only receive an opticalinput, for example, while a headphone jack may only provide an audiooutput.

The device 20 further illustratively includes a display 22, for example,a liquid crystal display (LCD) carried by the housing 21 and connectedto the circuitry 48. A back button 36 and scroll wheel 37 can also beconnected to the circuitry 48 for allowing a user to navigate menus,text, etc., as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Thescroll wheel 37 may also be referred to as a “thumb wheel” or a “trackwheel” in some instances. The keypad 23 illustratively includes aplurality of multi-symbol keys 24 each having indicia of a plurality ofrespective symbols thereon. The keypad 23 also illustratively includesan alternate function key 25, a next key 26, a space key 27, a shift key28, a return (or enter) key 29, and a backspace/delete key 30.

The next key 26 is also used to enter a “*” symbol upon first pressingor actuating the alternate function key 25. Similarly, the space key 27,shift key 28 and backspace key 30 are used to enter a “0” and “#”,respectively, upon first actuating the alternate function key 25. Thekeypad 23 further illustratively includes a send key 31, an end key 32,and a convenience (i.e., menu) key 39 for use in placing cellulartelephone calls, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Moreover, the symbols on each key 24 are arranged in top and bottomrows. The symbols in the bottom rows are entered when a user presses akey 24 without first pressing the alternate function key 25, while thetop row symbols are entered by first pressing the alternate functionkey. As seen in FIG. 2, the multi-symbol keys 24 are arranged in thefirst three rows on the keypad 23 below the send and end keys 31, 32.Furthermore, the letter symbols on each of the keys 24 are arranged todefine a QWERTY layout. The letters on the keypad 23 are presented in athree-row format, with the letters of each row being in the same orderand relative position as in a standard QWERTY keypad.

Each row of keys (including the fourth row of function keys 25-29) isarranged in five columns in this non-limiting example. The multi-symbolkeys 24 in the second, third, and fourth columns of the first, second,and third rows have numeric indicia thereon (i.e., 1 through 9)accessible by first actuating the alternate function key 25. Coupledwith the next, space, and shift keys 26, 27, 28, which respectivelyenter a “*”, “0”, and “#” upon first actuating the alternate functionkey 25, as noted above, this set of keys defines a standard telephonekeypad layout, as would be found on a traditional touch-tone telephone,as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Accordingly, the mobile wireless communications device 20 as describedmay advantageously be used not only as a traditional cellular phone, butit may also be conveniently used for sending and/or receiving data overa cellular or other network, such as Internet and email data, forexample. Of course, other keypad configurations may also be used inother embodiments. Multi-tap or predictive entry modes may be used fortyping e-mails, etc. as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In one non-limiting aspect, the antenna 45 is preferably formed as amulti-frequency band antenna, which provides enhanced transmission andreception characteristics over multiple operating frequencies. Moreparticularly, the antenna 45 is designed to provide high gain, desiredimpedance matching, and meet applicable SAR requirements over arelatively wide bandwidth and multiple cellular frequency bands. By wayof example, in one non-limiting example, the antenna 45 preferablyoperates over five bands, namely a 850 MHz Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) band, a 900 MHz GSM band, a DCS band, a PCS band,and a WCDMA band (i.e., up to about 2100 MHz), although it may be usedfor other bands/frequencies as well. To conserve space, the antenna 45may advantageously be implemented in three dimensions although it may beimplemented in two-dimensional or planar embodiments as well. In onenon-limiting example, it is L-configured and positioned at the lowerportion or edge of the support case.

The mobile wireless communications device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 canincorporate email and messaging accounts and provide different functionssuch as composing e-mail, PIN messages, and SMS messages. The device canmanage messages through an appropriate menu that can be retrieved bychoosing a messages icon. An address book function could add contacts,allow management of an address book, set address book options and manageSIM card phone books. A phone menu could allow for the making andanswering of phone calls using different phone features, managing phonecall logs, setting phone options, and viewing phone information. Abrowser application could permit the browsing of web pages, configuringa browser, adding bookmarks, and changing browser options. Otherapplications could include a task, memo pad, calculator, alarm andgames, as well as handheld options with various references.

A calendar icon can be chosen for entering a calendar program that canbe used for establishing and managing events such as meetings orappointments. The calendar program could be any type of messaging orappointment/meeting program that allows an organizer to establish anevent, for example, an appointment or meeting.

A non-limiting example of various functional components that can be usedin the exemplary mobile wireless communications device 20 of FIGS. 1 and2 is further described in the example below with reference to FIG. 3.The device 20 illustratively includes a housing 120 shown in outline bythe dashed lines, a keypad 140, and an output device 160. The outputdevice 160 shown is preferably a display, which is preferably a fullgraphic LCD. Other types of output devices may alternatively be used. Aprocessing device 180 such as a microprocessor is contained within thehousing 120 and is coupled between the keypad 140 and the display 160.The processing device 180 controls the operation of the display 160, aswell as the overall operation of the mobile device 20, in response toactuation of keys on the keypad 140 by the user.

The housing 120 may be elongated vertically, or may take on other sizesand shapes (including clamshell housing structures). The keypad mayinclude a mode selection key, or other hardware or software forswitching between text entry and telephony entry.

In addition to the processing device 180, other parts of the mobiledevice 20 are shown schematically in FIG. 3. These include acommunications subsystem 101; a short-range communications subsystem102; the keypad 140 and the display 160, along with other input/outputdevices 106, 108, 110 and 112; as well as memory devices 116, 118 andvarious other device subsystems 121. The mobile device 20 is preferablya two-way RP communications device having voice and data communicationscapabilities. In addition, the mobile device 20 preferably has thecapability to communicate with other computer systems via the Internet.

Operating system software executed by the processing device 180 ispreferably stored in a persistent store, such as the flash memory 116,but may be stored in other types of memory devices, such as a read onlymemory (ROM) or similar storage element. In addition, system software,specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarilyloaded into a volatile store, such as the random access memory (RAM)118. Communications signals received by the mobile device may also bestored in the RAM 118.

The processing device 180, in addition to its operating systemfunctions, enables execution of software applications 130A-130N on thedevice 20. A predetermined set of applications that control basic deviceoperations, such as data and voice communications 130A and 130B, may beinstalled on the device 20 during manufacture. In addition, a personalinformation manager (PIM) application may be installed duringmanufacture. The PIM is preferably capable of organizing and managingdata items, such as e-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments,and task items. The PIM application is also preferably capable ofsending and receiving data items via a wireless network 141. Preferably,the PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updatedvia the wireless network 141 with the device user's corresponding dataitems stored or associated with a host computer system.

Communication functions, including data and voice communications, areperformed through the communications subsystem 101, and possibly throughthe short-range communications subsystem. The communications subsystem101 includes a receiver 150, a transmitter 152, and one or more antennae154 and 156. In addition, the communications subsystem 101 also includesa processing module, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 158, andlocal oscillators (LOs) 161. The specific design and implementation ofthe communications subsystem 101 is dependent upon the communicationsnetwork in which the mobile device 20 is intended to operate. Forexample, the mobile device 20 may include a communications subsystem 101designed to operate with the Mobitex™, Data TAC™ or General Packet RadioService (GPRS) mobile data communications networks, and also designed tooperate with any of a variety of voice communications networks, such asAMPS, TDMA, CDMA, PCS, GSM, etc. Other types of data and voice networks,both separate and integrated, may also be utilized with the mobiledevice 20.

Network access requirements vary depending upon the type ofcommunication system. For example, in the Mobitex and DataTAC networks,mobile devices are registered on the network using a unique personalidentification number or PIN associated with each device. In GPRSnetworks, however, network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a device. A GPRS device therefore requires a subscriber identitymodule, commonly referred to as a SIM card, in order to operate on aGPRS network.

When required network registration or activation procedures have beencompleted, the mobile device 20 may send and receive communicationssignals over the communication network 141. Signals received from thecommunications network 141 by the antenna 154 are routed to the receiver150, which provides for signal amplification, frequency down conversion,filtering, channel selection, etc., and may also provide analog todigital conversion. Analog-to-digital conversion of the received signalallows the DSP 158 to perform more complex communications functions,such as demodulation and decoding. In a similar manner, signals to betransmitted to the network 141 are processed (e.g., modulated andencoded) by the DSP 158 and are then provided to the transmitter 152 fordigital to analog conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering,amplification and transmission to the communication network 141 (ornetworks) via the antenna 156.

In addition to processing communications signals, the DSP 158 providesfor control of the receiver 150 and the transmitter 152. For example,gains applied to communications signals in the receiver 150 andtransmitter 152 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in the DSP 158.

In a data communications mode, a received signal, such as a text messageor web page download, is processed by the communications subsystem 101and is input to the processing device 180. The received signal is thenfurther processed by the processing device 180 for an output to thedisplay 160, or alternatively to some other auxiliary I/O device 106. Adevice user may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages, usingthe keypad 140 and/or some other auxiliary I/O device 106, such as atouchpad, a rocker switch, a thumb-wheel, or some other type of inputdevice. The composed data items may then be transmitted over thecommunications network 141 via the communications subsystem 101.

In a voice communications mode, overall operation of the device issubstantially similar to the data communications mode, except thatreceived signals are output to a speaker 110, and signals fortransmission are generated by a microphone 112. Alternative voice oraudio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, mayalso be implemented on the device 20. In addition, the display 160 mayalso be utilized in voice communications mode, for example to displaythe identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or othervoice call related information.

Any short-range communications subsystem enables communication betweenthe mobile device 20 and other proximate systems or devices, which neednot necessarily be similar devices. For example, the short-rangecommunications subsystem may include an infrared device and associatedcircuits and components, or a Bluetooth™ communications module toprovide for communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices.

FIG. 4 shows a section of the mobile wireless communications device suchas shown in FIGS. 1-3 and showing the relative position of the antennaand battery charging contacts on a portion of the back or rear sectionof the housing case 200 as part of the housing forming the mobilewireless communications device. A rear cover in some non-limitingexamples could be inserted over the illustrated housing case. It isshown removed in this non-limiting example. In other aspects, thehousing case could include integrated or separate front and rear housingcovers depending on specific design options.

As illustrated in this one particular configuration, the housing case200 is substantially rectangular configured and includes opposing endsand longitudinal edges and includes an end formed as a lower edge 202corresponding, for example, to the lower portion 47 of the mobilewireless communications device of FIG. 1. The antenna 204 in thisexample is supported at the lower edge 202 of the housing case 200 andconfigured as an L-shaped antenna in cross-section and extends over thelower edge 202 of the housing case as illustrated. In this example, theantenna 204 extends substantially along the entire lower edge 202 exceptat the longitudinal edges.

Two battery charging contacts 208, 210 are positioned on the housingcase 200 and operable to engage charging contacts (not shown) such aspart of a charging cradle. The charging contacts 208, 210 are separatedby an insulator strip 211 in this example. The battery charging contacts208, 210 are placed in close proximity to the antenna 204 as illustratedin FIG. 4. On the housing case 200, the central section is defined by abattery well 214 to which a battery for powering the device could bereceived, and shown by the rectangular line 216 and could also define anarea in the housing case 200 for access to various components, includingany PCB boards as described relative to FIGS. 1-3.

Charging contacts are a feature of many mobile wireless communicationsdevices such as shown and described relative to FIGS. 1-3. As shown bythe close proximity between the battery charging contacts 208, 210 andthe antenna 204 in FIG. 4, radio frequency (RF) coupling occurs at thecharging contacts and can affect the antenna performance and causetransmitter circuitry harmonics emissions and receiver circuitryde-sense. The charging contacts 208, 210 are typically also positionedclose to a power amplifier circuit such as described relative to FIGS.1-3, which also causes various RF and other interference issues with theinternal circuitry and antenna.

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the charging contacts 208, 210 includes aninternal connector as an electrical conductor indicated generally at 220that extends downward and includes a lower internal spring (e.g.,biased) connector 222 that connects to a battery charging pad 224positioned on the printed circuit board 226. Thus, each internalconnector 220 with its associated spring connector 222 segment forms abiased electrical connector between the exposed surface of the contactsuch as shown by the reference numerals 208 and 210 in FIG. 4 andbattery charging pads on the circuit board. In this side elevation view,only one charging contact and associated battery charging pad isillustrated. The battery charging pad 224 connects to battery chargingcircuitry 225 such as by signal traces on the circuit board. Thecharging circuitry 225 could be separate from the circuit board in someexamples and connected by lead wires to battery charging pad 224. Itshould be understood that in this example, FIG. 5 shows only onecharging contact in this elevation view, but each charging contact couldhave an internal connector 220 and its associated lower section formedas a spring connector 222 connected to a respective battery charging pad224.

The battery charging contacts 208, 210, and any associated batterycharging pad 224 and the internal connector 220 and its associatedspring connector 222 can operate similar to an antenna, creating someinterference issues. The charging contacts 208, 210, their internalconnector 220 and associated spring connector 222 and the batterycharging pad 224 connect to the charging circuit 225, which typicallyhas a low impedance for RF it is typically close to the antenna, andheavily couples energy to the antenna 204 and loads the antennaimpedance. A respective charging contact could have a respectivepolarity as understood by those skilled in the art.

Any type of spring connector such as the illustrated internal connector220 with its associated spring connector 222 can resonate at the band ofinterest and cause interference. The battery charging contacts 208, 210with their internal connectors and charging pads can pick up digitalnoise from the digital circuits as part of a mobile wirelesscommunications device where energy is supplied from the battery andcoupled back with any power amplifier harmonics to the battery andbattery charging circuit. This creates even greater digital noise anddesensitizes any radio frequency circuitry associated with the receiver.Also, during any transmission, a power amplifier can eject harmonics andthese harmonics can be coupled to the charging contacts 208, 210.

Some proposals to reduce interference have used ferrite beads positionedon printed circuit boards, for example, on the signal traces formed oncircuit boards, to reduce the harmonics and interference. Ferrite beadson a circuit board help reduce noise coupled beyond the ferrite beads,for example, close to any internal connectors including springconnectors, charging contacts or battery charging pads. The ferritebeads, however, are positioned on the circuit board and not at theinternal connectors and associated spring connectors and chargingcontacts for the charging circuit. Thus, the RF impedance is stillincreased at that point in some designs.

As shown in FIG. 5, an RF filter 230 as a core of ferrite material isplaced at each of the respective charging contacts 208, 210 at a portionof the internal connector 220 above the associated spring connector 222in this non-limiting example and will prevent RF coupling to the antenna202 and the associated battery charging contact and its internalconnector and associated spring connector 222 and any associated batterycharging pads. This ferrite material will also prevent high impedanceand prevent noise from being ejected that will de-sense the receivercircuit or radiate harmonics during the transmit mode.

The L-shaped antenna 204 as shown in FIG. 4 in this example is wrappedaround the lower edge 202 of the support case 200 (FIG. 5). The PCBboard 226 as illustrated includes the various RF components as describedrelative to FIGS. 1-3, including connection lines and other components.These components are not shown in detail in FIG. 5. The battery chargingcontacts 208, 210 are shown closely positioned near the antenna 204 andsupported by the housing case 200 and, as explained before, include thedownward extending internal connector 220 and its associated lowersection formed as a spring connector 222 and such that battery chargingcontacts 208, 210 electrically engage a battery charging pad 224 on theprinted circuit board 226 as part of the battery charging circuit. Asillustrated, the battery charging pad 224 connects to part of chargingcircuit 225, which is positioned on the circuit board in thisnon-limiting example, but as noted before, could be supported elsewherein the housing.

As illustrated, an internal section of the housing corresponding to thehousing case 200 includes a downward extending RF filter support 232 forthe ferrite material as an RF filter 230, e.g., a “holster,” as anon-limiting example in this instance, which could be formed as acylindrical wall 234 that extends around a substantial portion of theinternal connector to hold the ferrite material (formed cylindrically inthis example to fit within the filter support) in place relative to thebattery charging contacts and their internal connector 220 up to thelower spring connector 222. The RF filter 230 formed from the ferritematerial does not interfere with the biasing action of the internalconnector in this non-limiting example since the spring connector is notcovered. Other configurations besides a cylinder could be used to formthe RF filter support 232 as part of the housing case. The ferritematerial 230 is received in this RE filter support and secured therebyand acts similar to a ferrite bead relative to the internal connector220 and its associated spring connector 222 as part of the batterycharging contact 208 and prevents RE coupling. The ferrite material asan RE filter 230 acts similar to a ferrite bead, such as placed directlyon the circuit board, but instead is a ferrite material that encompassesa portion of the internal connector 220. It could also encompass part ofthe associated spring connector 222 as long as it did not interfere withany biasing function of the spring connector.

In this non-limiting example, the spring connector 222 as part of theinternal connector 220 is used to add resilience to the overallconnector. The mobile wireless communications device during charging istypically placed in a charging cradle (in this example), and resiliencein movement helps ensure contact for charging. The ferrite based RFfilter 230 is incorporated with the charging contacts 208, 210 andprovides the high RF impedance across the frequency bands of interestsuch that the charging contacts will present high impedance to theantenna. Therefore, the antenna performance will not be degraded.

This RF filter 230 is formed in this non-limiting example from a ferritematerial that blocks the transmission (Tx) harmonics coupled from any RFpower amplifier to any traces or connection lines formed on the printedcircuit board such as from the battery charging pad and prevent anyenergy from radiating by the charging contacts. In a radio frequency(RF) receive mode, most of the digital noise coupled from the processoror other CPU and other high frequency digital circuits to the chargingcontacts 208, 210 will be eliminated by the ferrite RF filter 230, whichprevents receiver de-sensing due to the noise picked-up by the antenna204. By implementing this RF filter 230 near the charging contacts 208,210 as shown in FIG. 5, these technical problems are minimized ascompared to a more conventional technique of placing ferrite beads on aprinted circuit board. Thus, the charging contacts 208, 210 are designedsuch as in the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 5 to incorporate theRF filter 230.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a block diagram of aconventional In-phase and Quadrature (I/Q) modulation and poweramplification circuit illustrated generally at 300 that is typicallyused in many different types of communications devices, especially lowerpower mobile wireless communications devices. The circuit 300 has onepower amplifier circuit after the In-phase and Quadrature modulation andmixing and power combining.

FIG. 6 shows this conventional I/Q modulation and power amplificationcircuit 300. It has In-phase and Quadrature inputs (I) and (Q) for arespective In-phase circuit 302 and Quadrature circuit 304 that eachinclude a respective digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 310, 312, lowpass filter 314, 316 and mixer 318, 320 as illustrated. A localoscillator 330 generates a local oscillator (LO) signal into a frequencydivider 332, which passes the resulting and divided signals into therespective mixers 318, 320 as illustrated. The frequency divider 332provides for +45 and −45 phase/frequency adjustment for I and Qmodulation.

The output from the mixers 318, 320 are combined (or summed) at a powercombiner 340 into one signal that is then bandpass filtered within arespective bandpass filter 342. One or more RF power amplifiers form apower amplifier circuit 350 amplifies the signal after bandpassfiltering. The amplified signal is then filtered in a low pass filter352. The filtered signal is passed to further RF circuits for otherprocessing, including an antenna as part of any transmitter circuitryfor signal transmission over-the-air. The modulation and poweramplification circuit 300 shown in FIG. 6 may have linearity issues withthe power amplifier (PA) circuit 350 and requires a more flexible IQmodulation scheme. This can be especially relevant when the poweramplifier circuit design is used for 8 PSK (phase shift keying),quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and similar modulation schemes,typical in some lower power communications devices.

This conventional circuit 300 also may have a poor antenna matchdegrading total radiated power (TRP) and cause less efficiency becauseof the current power amplifier drawbacks, making it difficult to makeimprovements in radio frequency transmitter performance and batterylife. Also, this type of conventional circuit 300 may have harmonicsissues because of the higher non-linearity of the power amplifier. Somevery high power I/Q modulation circuits such as in large and powerfulbase stations may use multiple power amplifiers that are power combinedinto an antenna, but they typically incorporate complex circuit featuressuch as feed forward, feedback, free-distortion, complex mixing andcomplex power amplifier circuits. Those types of solutions are notalways adequate for lower power mobile wireless communications device.Some communications circuits for I/Q modulation incorporate paralleloutput stages. These are usually targeted to achieve better linearity inany power amplifier circuit. The parallel output stages are sometimesused for heat control, increased power output, signal quality, peakpower improvement and similar aspects. These circuits still may sufferdrawbacks and may not be as reliable or adapted for lower powerapplication as indicated above.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an IQ modulation and power amplificationcircuit 400 in accordance with a non-limiting aspect that includes I/Qsignal inputs and an In-phase circuit 402 and Quadrature circuit 404,including the basic components in each I/Q circuit 402, 404 of arespective DAC 410, 412, LPF 414, 416 and mixer 418, 420. The componentsare similar to components shown in FIG. 6, but with modifications thatcould be made as a result of the changes in each I/Q circuit 402, 404 toinclude a power amplifier circuit as described below.

Each I/Q circuit 402, 404 includes a power amplifier circuit 450 a, 450b that is used only for amplifying respective I or Q signals in therespective I/Q circuits 402, 404. The respective power amplifier circuit450 a, 450 b is positioned into each of the respective In-phase andQuadrature circuits 402, 404. The local oscillator 430 and frequencydivider circuits 432 can be similar as with the circuit of FIG. 6 withmodifications as are necessary. After mixing within respective mixers418, 420, the respective I and Q signals are each bandpass filteredwithin the respective bandpass filters 442 a, 442 b, and then each poweramplified by respective power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b such thatthe separate In-phase and Quadrature signals are power amplifiedseparately and not after being combined as in the circuit of FIG. 6.Afterward, the respective I and Q signals are power combined within apower combiner 460 and the resultant signal filtered within a low passfilter 462.

This I/Q modulation and power amplification circuit 400 in thisnon-limiting example uses two separate power amplifier circuits 450 a,450 b with 3 dB less output power as compared to a more conventionalsingle power amplifier circuit positioned after combining such as shownin FIG. 6, resulting in better linearity of the power amplifier circuitand increased DC power efficiency, while still maintaining the sameoutput power through a 3 dB power combiner 460 as a non-limitingexample. The power combiner 460 isolates the output from the input suchthat the circuit 400 can prevent a poor antenna match from directlyaffecting the power amplifier and radio frequency (RF) performance. Withhigher and more efficient power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b asdescribed for each I/Q circuit 402, 404, it is possible to gain longerbattery life. Because it is possible to use more linear power amplifierswith the design as shown in FIG. 7, there is less harmonic emission fromthe power amplifier output.

Not only is IQ modulation achieved with the circuit design shown in FIG.7, but also digital amplitude, frequency and phase modulation isachieved in an efficient manner. The better linearity and power-addedefficiency occurs because of using smaller power amplifier circuits suchas associated with a mobile wireless communications device to achieve adesired output power, for example, greater than 33 dBm. This I/Qmodulation and power amplification circuit 400 allows a more flexibledigital modulation for different modulation schemes with similarhardware architectures. It is possible to implement the circuit 400 on asingle transceiver chip such as shown by the line at 470 due to the useof the respective power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b, transmitting 3dB less of RF power than a normal single power amplifier circuit 350such as shown in FIG. 6. The IQ modulation and power amplificationcircuit 400 shown in FIG. 7 includes as a non-limiting example a 3 dBpower combiner 460 such as a quadrature hybrid power combiner andprovides an easier power amplifier match for better output power,efficiency and immunity to mobile antenna impedance change. The powercombiner 460 also allows the cancellation of even order transmitharmonics, which in turn, will make any harmonics filter design easierwith less insertion loss and associated factors.

A quadrature hybrid power combiner 460 as a non-limiting example can beformed using different techniques and typically combines two, usuallyequal amplitude, quadrature-phased input signals into a single outputsignal. The combiner could use lumped element circuits, strip linecircuits, or other circuits. The strip line circuits can be used inthose applications requiring low loss or high power or both. Typically,a fundamental circuit element is a 3 dB quarter-wave coupler and formedas a four port network. The signal applied to a first port could besplit equally between a second and third port with one of the outputshaving a relative 90-degree phase shift. When the second and third portsare terminated into matching impedances, the signal applied to the firstport is typically transmitted to a load connected to the second andthird ports such that a fourth port receives negligible power and is“isolated.” An impedance mismatch at the second port could reflect somesignal power back from the second port to be divided proportionallybetween the first and fourth ports. It is also possible to vary therelative input/output phasing even though the relationship between theoutput ports is maintained at 90 degrees. It may be possible to form alumped element construction with one or more toroidal cores. Typicallyin a lumped element design, the insertion loss is related to the Qvalues of different components used in the network. In a strip linecomponent, however, the insertion loss can result from the resistance ofconductors and a mismatch loss at input/output ports and directivityloss. Thicker conductors could reduce some of that loss.

The I/Q modulation and power amplification circuit 400 shown in FIG. 7overcomes the technical drawbacks and problems associated with the typeof circuit 300 shown in FIG. 6 in which only one power amplifier circuit350 is used after power combining, especially with power amplifierdesigns for GSM/GPRS/EDGE systems to achieve both GMSK and 8 PSK.Different RF transceiver systems have different transceiverarchitectures for digital frequency and phase modulations with IQmodulation.

The I/Q modulation and power amplification circuit 400 of FIG. 7 withrespective power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b in each of I and Qcircuits 402, 404 allows greater control over any power amplifier driverand/or power amplifier biasing, even when using either open loop systemsor larger or smaller closed loop systems. Controllers 480 a, 480 b (orone controller) are operative with the respective power amplifiercircuit 450 a, 450 b and controls gain and other factors. Thecontrollers 480 a, 480 b can be open loop or closed loop control (asshown by the dashed feedback line in each circuit). The I/Q modulationand power amplification circuit 400 shown in FIG. 7 unifies the IQmodulation scheme with linear/higher efficiency/higher powerrequirements of power amplifier designs such that different types ofdigital modulations, for example, AM, FM and PM can be fulfilled. Also,the two respective power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b shown in FIG. 7can be calibrated to achieve high linear/efficiency/power amplifierdesign with low harmonics and less sensitivity to antenna loading.

In one non-limiting aspect, the power combiner 460 is operative as a 3dB quadrature hybrid combiner as noted before. With this circuit designas described, two power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b could be usedwith only 30 dBm (1 watt) output power to achieve 33 dBm. The loss dueto the power combiner 460 could be about 0.2 to about 0.3 dB, whichcould handled using a sharp low pass filter 462 to force down the thirdharmonics of the power amplifier. Thus, it is possible that the poweramplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b with 30 dBm output can be established toachieve 33 dBm output. Typically, using the 3 dB quadrature hybrid powercombiner 460, it is possible to isolate the antenna matching from thepower amplifier matching to obtain better transmission radiated power(TRP). As a result, the antenna design does not require more than onefeed port to incorporate the power combiner as described.

It should be understood that the quadrature hybrid power combiner 460can be tolerable to the mismatch of an antenna load impedance. Also, thequadrature hybrid gives greater reflectivity for phase and frequencymodulation. Thus, efficient amplitude modulation can occur by changingthe bias of the power amplifier circuits 450 a, 450 b for each of theIn-phase and Quadrature circuits 402, 404 and give greater flexibilityin circuit function.

FIG. 7A illustrates a graph showing an example of the cancellation ofsome even order harmonics using the circuit of FIG. 7.

Some mobile wireless communications devices incorporate various antennadesigns that include antenna contacts such as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.These antenna contacts typically connect between an antenna carriedinside the mobile wireless communications device such as shown in FIGS.1-3 and a circuit board carrying RF circuitry, such as a transceiver. Anequivalent schematic circuit diagram for the antenna contact 500 ofFIGS. 8 and 9 and an associated antenna is shown in FIG. 10 in which theantenna 502 is illustrated. This antenna 502 includes a contact point(c) 504 connecting the antenna contact and at an antenna flex section506 that extends from the contact point (c) 504 to the point where theantenna contact connects, and an extended flex section as an RF stub508.

As illustrated, the antenna contact 500 is configured to act like aspring such as shown in the examples of FIGS. 9 and 10 (configuredsimilar to an elongated clip or hairpin with upper and lower or top andbottom legs) and having an inductance L, based on its configuration andits contact to the RF stub and flex and to a contact on the printedcircuit board 520. Both FIGS. 9 and 10 show how the antenna contact 500forms a spring type mechanism in which the lower section or leg 530forms a board contact that could be soldered or attached by othertechniques to the printed circuit board 520, for example, an antennaboard as in FIG. 10. The upper section or leg 532 of the antenna contactis a biased spring section forming an upper leg engages an antenna atits contact point 504, including any necessary feed lines or othercontact points or connections.

FIG. 9 shows an additional contact section 534 that slides on the upperspring biased section or leg 532 to form a section that engages at thecontact point the RF stub as explained before. This contact section 534includes an upper contact member 536 shaped in an inverted U for makingcontact to the antenna near the RF stub at the contact point in onenon-limiting example. The antenna contact 500 in FIG. 8 could have asimilar additional upper contact member 534 slid thereon.

One drawback of such antenna contact designs as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9and the equivalent schematic circuit of FIG. 10 is that these antennacontacts as circuits do not provide adequate RF performance because ofthe long physical length that creates a higher radio frequency (RF)inductance. The RF performance varies significantly because of thedesign variation in antenna contact design. Also, the spring effect ofthese types of antenna contacts often is lost after being depressed evenone time. This type of antenna contact is not as strong as desirable anddoes not adequately secure to an antenna after the mobile wirelesscommunications device has been dropped several times, thus, creatingreliability issues such as caused from weak solder joints engaging theantenna contact, for example, to the circuit board.

FIGS. 11-14 show an antenna contact 600 in accordance with anon-limiting aspect that offers better RF performance by significantlyreducing any antenna contact length and providing parallel inductancesas shown in the equivalent schematic circuit diagram of FIG. 13. Thisantenna contact 600 has similar functional components as in that shownin FIGS. 8-10 but with enhanced performance resulting from betterdesign. As shown in the schematic circuit diagram of FIG. 13, basiccomponents of the antenna contact 600 include the extended flex portionas the RF stub 608, the contact point 604, the antenna flex 606 andother portions forming the antenna 602 and operating through RFcomponents on the circuit board 620 such as a transceiver circuit. Theequivalent inductance Le in FIG. 13 is significantly reduced as comparedwith the single higher inductance of L shown in the antenna contact andassociated antenna schematic circuit of FIG. 8.

FIGS. 11, 12 and 14 are fragmentary and partial isometric views of theantenna contact 600 and showing the basic configuration in FIG. 12 witha portion of the antenna flex 606 and the contact point 604 and REF stub608. Relative dimensions are shown in the equivalent schematic circuitof FIGS. 13 and 14 to give an idea of the resulting improvement inperformance.

This configuration as shown in FIGS. 11-14 provides consistent physicalcontact with the antenna flex 606 and REF stub 608 (FIG. 11). To reducethe variation of the contact point C 604 and the extended antenna flex606 and the RF stub 608, a core shield EMI material 650 as an RF filteris added on the antenna flex at the contact point and engages the REFstub 608 and provides secure contact and low RF inductance andvariation. As illustrated, to strengthen the resulting biasing of theantenna contact configuration, the antenna contact 600 includes a lowerleg 630 at the upper spring biased section or upper leg 632 is formed tohave increased mechanical support resulting from an inverted V-shapedconfiguration forming P1 and P2 for that upper section or upper leg 632along with a horizontally extending slide landing element 670 P3. Toavoid potential solder wicking during a solder reflow process when theantenna contact 600 is soldered onto a circuit board such as a maincircuit board or antenna board, the edges 672 for the slide landingelement P3 670 are elevated from contact with P4 630 as the lowersection that contacts the printed circuit board and forms a concaveshape or U-shaped bend while still maintaining physical and electricalcontact with the lower leg 630 P4. Thus, the antenna contact still has aconfiguration similar to a C-clip, but with greater efficiency ofdesign. This improved antenna contact 600 as described and shown inFIGS. 11-13 provides strong and secure physical contact to improve thereliability of a drop test while offering good and consistent radiofrequency (RF) performance.

The EMI material forming the filter 650 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 canbe a conductive foam glued to the antenna flex as the RF stub 608, suchas a gore-shield® EMI material as the GS8000 EMI shielding gasket, Thistype of material provides excellent conformability and excellentcavity-to-cavity EMI shielding and conductivity at low compressiveforces.

This type of material can be supplied as a precision die-cut part onrolls and can be formed as a foil-backed, nickel-plated base polymerwith an electrically conductive and pressure-sensitive adhesive. Nocuring is required.

GS8000 Nominal Properties Property Nominal Value Test Method Compositethickness 1.62 ± 0.25 mm Measured Die-cut thickness 1.0 mm¹ OpticallyLiner 0.51 mm Polyester N/A Recommended compression 0.3 to 0.5 mm N/Astop (0.4 mm ideal) Pressure to compress to 3.5 kg/cm² EM2WIIN 0.4 mm(50 psi) T-1055^(2,3) DC resistance at 0.4 mm 6 mΩ EM2WIIN T-1055^(2,3)Volume resistivity at 0.4 mm 0.03 Ω-cm Modified ASTM-D2739 Shieldingeffectiveness at >80 dB Modified 0.4 mm (0.1 to 3 GHz) ARP-1705⁴

An example of relative dimensions for the antenna contact 600 is shownin FIG. 14. “X” could be about 4.2 mm. “Y” could be about 1.6 mm. “Z”could be about 1.5 mm.

This application is related to copending patent applications entitled,“MOBILE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WITH SEPARATE IN-PHASE ANDQUADRATURE POWER AMPLIFICATION,” and “MOBILE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONSDEVICE WITH ANTENNA CONTACT HAVING REDUCED RF INDUCTANCE,” which arefiled on the same date and by the same assignee and inventors, thedisclosures which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Many modifications and other embodiments will come to the mind of oneskilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it isunderstood that various modifications and embodiments are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A mobile wireless communications device, comprising: a housing; at least one circuit board carried by the housing and including radio frequency (RF) circuitry carried by the at least one circuit board and comprising a transmitter and receiver, and a processor carried by the at least one circuit board and operative with the RF circuitry; an antenna mounted within the housing and operative with the RE circuitry; a charging circuit mounted within the housing for charging a battery carried by and powering the mobile wireless communications device and comprising at least one charging contact carried by the housing and configured for engaging an external charging cradle when connected thereto, said charging contact further comprising an internal connector extending to at least one circuit board and connecting to charging circuitry; and an RF filter connected to said charging contact and comprising a ferrite material surrounding at least a portion of said internal connector to minimize RF coupling from the at least one charging contact to the antenna and reduce transmitter harmonics emission and receiver de-sense.
 2. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a lower end to which said antenna and at least one charging contact are positioned in close proximity to each other.
 3. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 2, wherein said housing further comprises a housing case having a lower edge mounting the antenna, wherein said antenna extends over said lower edge and said at least one charging contact is supported adjacent the lower edge to which the antenna is mounted.
 4. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 3, wherein said antenna comprises a substantially L-shaped antenna extending over the lower edge.
 5. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said charging contact further comprises a spring connector that extends to the at least one circuit board and is not surrounded by the ferrite material forming the RF filter.
 6. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one charging contact comprises a two spaced charging contacts with opposite polarity and a respective RF filter connected to each respective charging contact.
 7. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said RF filter is substantially cylindrically configured and surrounds and engages said internal connector.
 8. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 7, wherein said housing comprises an internal surface and further comprising a RF filter support extending from the internal surface to which said ferrite material is secured.
 9. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 8, wherein said RF filter support comprises a cylindrical wall that supports said ferrite material.
 10. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said RE circuitry comprises a transceiver chip.
 11. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, and further comprising a battery charging pad carried by the at least one circuit board and connected to charging circuitry and the internal connector.
 12. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein said REF circuitry is operative for generating Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) packet bursts.
 13. A mobile wireless communications device, comprising: a housing comprising a substantially rectangular configured housing case having a rear surface, longitudinal side edges and lower end and having a battery opening in the rear surface to which a battery for powering the device is received; at least one circuit board carried by the housing and including radio frequency (RF) circuitry carried by the at least one circuit board and comprising a transmitter and receiver, and a processor carried by the at least one circuit board and operative with the RF circuitry; an antenna mounted at the lower end of the housing case and operative with the RF circuitry; a charging circuit mounted within the housing for charging any battery received within the battery opening and comprising opposing charging contacts of opposite polarity carried by the housing at the lower end of the housing case adjacent said antenna and configured for engaging an external charging cradle when connected thereto, each charging contact further comprising an internal connector extending to at least one circuit board and connecting to charging circuitry and any battery for charging same; and an RF filter associated with each respective charging contact and comprising a ferrite material surrounding at least a portion of a respective internal connector to which said RF filter is associated to minimize RF coupling from each charging contact to the antenna and reduce transmitter harmonics emission and receiver de-sense.
 14. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13, wherein said housing case at the lower end comprises a lower edge and said antenna extends along said lower edge, and said charging contacts are supported on the rear surface of the housing case adjacent the lower edge to which the antenna extends.
 15. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 14, wherein said antenna comprises a substantially L-shaped antenna extending over the lower edge.
 16. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13, wherein each charging contact further comprises a spring connector that extends to the at least one circuit board and is not surrounded by the ferrite material forming the RF filter.
 17. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13, wherein each RF filter is substantially cylindrically configured and surrounds and engages said internal connector.
 18. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13, wherein said housing case comprises an internal surface and further comprising a RF filter support extending therefrom to which said ferrite material is secured.
 19. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 18, wherein said RF filter support comprises a cylindrical wall supporting said ferrite material such that said ferrite material surrounds and engages said internal connector.
 20. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13, wherein said RF circuitry comprises a transceiver chip.
 21. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13 and further comprising a battery charging pad carried by the at least one circuit board and connected to charging circuitry and the internal connector.
 22. The mobile wireless communications device according to claim 13, wherein said RF circuitry is operative for generating Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) packet bursts.
 23. A method of operating a mobile wireless communications device, which comprises: providing a housing, at least one circuit board carried by the housing and including radio frequency (RF) circuitry carried by the at least one circuit board and comprising a transmitter and receiver, a processor carried by the at least one circuit board and operative with the RF circuitry, an antenna mounted within the housing and operative with the RF circuitry, and a charging circuit mounted within the housing for charging a battery carried by and powering the mobile wireless communications device and comprising at least one charging contact carried by the housing and configured for engaging an external charging cradle when connected thereto, said charging contact further comprising an internal connector extending to the at least one circuit board and connecting to charging circuitry and any battery for charging same; and minimizing RF coupling from the at least one charging contact to the antenna while reducing transmitter harmonics emission and receiver de-sense by surrounding at least a portion of the internal connector of the charging connector with an RE filter formed from a ferrite material.
 24. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises forming a lower portion of the internal connector as a spring connector, wherein substantially no ferrite material surrounds the spring connector.
 25. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises forming two charging contacts, each having a respective different polarity. 